Child survival call to action

In June 2012 – The governments of the United States, India and Ethiopia, in collaboration with UNICEF, have convened the Child Survival Call to Action in Washington D.C., bringing together 700 leaders and global experts to launch a sustained effort to save children’s lives. The untold story of child survival is that the global community now has the combined knowledge, innovations, technical know-how and affordable tools to end preventable child deaths. Evidence shows that it is possible to decrease under-five mortality rates in developing countries to levels approaching those in wealthier countries, and to reduce disparities between the poorest and wealthiest children within nations.

The Call to Action challenges the world to reduce child mortality to below 20 child deaths or fewer per 1,000 live births in every country by 2035. Reaching this historic target will have saved an estimated, additional 45 million children’s lives between 2010 and 2035, bringing the world closer to the ultimate goal of ending preventable child deaths. The Call to Action forum launched Committing to Child Survival: A Promise Renewed, a pledge to accelerate declines in maternal and child mortality. Through national action and international cooperation, governments and partners renew the world’s commitment to give every last child the best possible start in life.

Background

Ten years after the UN General Assembly passed the landmark resolution on A World Fit for Children, A Promise Renewed aims to build on the global success in reducing preventable child deaths and renew political will to get the job done. By pledging support for A Promise Renewed, partners vow to redouble efforts to achieve Millennium Development Goals 4 and 5 by 2015 and to reduce child mortality in all countries, achieving 20 or fewer under-five deaths per 1,000 live births by 2035, with a focus on reaching the most disadvantaged and hardest-to-reach children in every country.

Ten years after the UN General Assembly passed the landmark resolution on A World Fit for Children, A Promise Renewed aims to build on the global success in reducing preventable child deaths and renew political will to get the job done. By pledging support for A Promise Renewed, partners vow to redouble efforts to achieve Millennium Development Goals 4 and 5 by 2015 and to reduce child mortality in all countries, achieving 20 or fewer under-five deaths per 1,000 live births by 2035, with a focus on reaching the most disadvantaged and hardest-to-reach children in every country.

What happens after the Child Survival Call to Action event?

The Child Survival Call to Action will kick off the Commitment to Child Survival: A Promise Renewed a series of activities to monitor progress in child survival efforts and ensure mutual accountability.

By pledging to work together to end preventable child deaths, the partners of A Promise Renewed are uniting in a common cause that every generation in history has instinctively embraced: doing our best so that children may survive and thrive.

Building on the momentum of the activities that will take place between June 2012 and September 2013, the partners of A Promise Renewed will periodically convene regional and global forums to assess progress, celebrate successes, and refine strategies for accelerating progress to 2015. In September of each year, a child mortality report will be issued under the banner of A Promise Renewed, with country profiles that track progress at the national and sub-national levels. Governments will be encouraged to share lessons learned and to identify high-impact strategies, which will be posted on the website of A Promise Renewed and showcased at relevant meetings and events. In preparation for 2015, we will bring together stakeholders to review and identify strategies to maintain the momentum and establish the processes necessary to monitor progress effectively from 2015 to 2035.

By pledging to work together to end preventable child deaths, the partners of A Promise Renewed are uniting in a common cause that every generation in history has instinctively embraced: doing our best so that children may survive and thrive.